Red Pearl
by SinfulSquirrel
Summary: "If I were the sun I'd hide too," Lucy murmured... Life was dreadfully boring. Natsu couldn't keep his gaze off the beautiful and insanely tempting blond woman… Could he be loved again, despite the curse placed on his soul and the hunters determined to erase his existence from the world? A drop of blood rolls on her skin, like a red pearl calling to the greedy beast within him…
1. Prologue

**~ RED PEARL ~**

 _ **~ Prologue ~**_

 _Dark. Everything is so dark. Emptiness surrounds him. Maybe this is Death. Quiet and lonely. He opens his mouth and tries to scream for help. Only silence emerges._

 _And suddenly, it feels like he's falling._

 _Years and years of endless agony pass him by as he tumbles through the nothingness. He know naught where he'll land, and he almost doesn't want to._

 _As he falls, the silence breaks. Screams of agony fill his head. He doesn't want to hear them. He doesn't want to see the blood, nor to smell it._

 _But the blood is there, falling in tiny drops, each of them like a small red pearl…_

 _Drip, drip, drop…_

 _Each one a reminder of all the great pain he caused._

 _Drip, drip, drop_

… _For eternity…_

 _Monster ! What did you do?_

 _... You shall carry the weight of your sin..._

 _Get away from me !_

 _...You shall never rest…_

 _Beasts like you should be destroyed !_

… _You shall never be loved again…_

 _Tears roll on his cheeks. When does the nightmare end?_

… _For eternity..._

 _..._

 _A light appears. He grabs for its glow._

 _But then, just like that, it's gone._

 _And the world caves in._

…

He jolted upwards in his bed, cool sweat rolling down his sizzling skin. As his eyes adjusted to the very faint light of the room, the black abyss he'd once been enveloped with was all gone- only his room remained in its place.

It was just a nightmare…

Just _another_ one.

He tilted his head towards the window where the crimson curtains were always drawn no matter the time of day, but as always they let in no sunlight. A twisted grimace pulled at his lips as he kicked off his blankets. It wasn't looking to be a good day today either, was it?

He yawned as his arms stretched over his shirtless form, muscles straining in the process, though he was the only one there to admire them.

His stomach grumbled loudly. It has been days since his last meal. He knew he had to leave the peaceful loneliness of his home to find something to eat.

He sighed, ruffled his hair, and got up. A little walk wouldn't hurt anyway.

The surprising grace he moved across the room with almost made it seem like he was gliding, maneuvering to his closet and whipping out the nearest shirt he could find. Just a quick walk… He wouldn't be gone long.

But before fully vanishing into the gloomy morning, he hesitated. Could he change his routine for once? He grabbed the tattered black cape, thoroughly worn out and tattered by time, that had been hanging on his coat rack, then made the journey outside.

He felt adventurous today. Maybe something good would come out of it.

* * *

 **A/N : Hi ! this is Child at Heart Forever and Doublepasse talking ! Welcome in our first Collab fic ! We are really excited about this, and we plotted for a while together to give you this :)**

 **And through blood, sweat, tears, and finally syncing schedules we were able to bring this to you! We've got lots of awesome stuff planned, and hopefully there's be a little something for everyone! Without further ado, we hope you enjoy! ^-^**

 **Rated M for potential triggers, moments of violence, incoming hot scenes, and SMUT (but overall it ain't _that_ bad~)**

 **We don't own Fairy Tail, only these lines. We don't own the cover image, it's the drawing from Mashima that inspired us.**


	2. Act I

**~ Act I ~**

 **~ A Tale of Loneliness and Boredom ~**

Lucy pouted when the carriage bumped into a sharp rock on the road. She couldn't stand travelling. It always implied hours of inconvenience and boredom. At least she was used to the last one. She sighed and rearranged her elegant dress, its regal frabric being incredibly itchy and uncomfortable.

She wasn't being honest, this last month had been a real breath of fresh air in her life. She would miss her happy days at the Macgarden's Mansion. Her friend Lady Levy always knew how to make her smile, and she was the only person of her class that shared the same passion in books and knowledge.

Lucy suddenly remembered she hadn't read her mother's latest letter, arriving the very morning of her departure from the Macgarden's. She fumbled in her purse, pulled it off, and broke the wax seal. A smile spread on her face as she deciphered the elegant writing of Lady Layla Heartfilia.

 _My dearest Lucy,_

 _I write to you in earnest hoping that your visit to Lady Levy's goes as well as planned, but also because by the time of your return, I fear that your father and I won't be present at the Heartfilia Estate. Certainly you understand that Lord Jude's business is important and can't be postponed._

 _As I write to you now, your father is telling me that he might have found the perfect suitor for you, and we can't wait for…_

Lucy went tight-lipped. She knew as the years passed that her parents would begin seeking a suitable husband for her, without asking her opinion. At twenty-two years old, Lucy felt lucky she wasn't already sold to a stranger, only interested in her for the values of her dowry. She sighed and continued her reading, skipping the part refering to her marriage.

… _I hope you behaved well at the Macgarden's; their alliance means a lot to our family._

 _During your trip back to Akalifa, you must tell Capricorn to avoid the forest at all costs. You know how scared I always get when I think of all those evil creatures haunting the country. I heard from Lady Cordelia that her cousin's son's butler's friend had seen fairies and almost got killed. I get shivers just from writing this down..._

 _I can't wait to see you again, my dear daughter. Take good care of yourself._

 _From your loving mother,_

 _Lady Layla Prudence Margeory Heartfilia_

Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Just like in a fairy tale…What utter garbage."

A snort followed, the parchment was crumbled, and was discarded with a toss, never to be thought of again _._ She never believed in those mystical creatures rumors talked about. Fairies, ogers, mermaids, ghosts and centaurs… These were just stories to scare little desobedient children and simple minded people.

Lucy wasn't the bragging kind of lady, but she had always been proud to be more down-to-earth than her servants, her friends, and even her mother. And _especially_ her father.

Her precocious passion for books led her to read a large amount of them in the imposing library of the Heartfilia's castle, with Lady Layla's compliance, since women weren't supposed to read so much. It helped her to acquire a critical thought process and shape her adult mind into something prim and proper. Nobody could make her believe in something as proofless as mystical, magical, and invisible living beings.

Lucy sighed as she perched her elbow upon the windowsill of the carriage, resting her cheek upon her dainty palm and glancing at the landscape outside. The gloomy atmosphere of the bleak sky mirrored the dull ache she felt inside herself, and for that moment it was as if the world just couldn't get any brighter than this.

Not when life was so dreadfully boring.

"If I were the sun I'd hide too," Lucy murmured, her cheek sliding farther down her hand. "I'd shield myself away from such a droll life…"

"Lady Lucy!" her faithful servant's voice rang from the front of carriage, making her lift her head up to give him proper attention. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but the road straight to your estate is impassable at the moment…"

"Why's that, Capricorn?" Lucy responded with a raised eyebrow. It was certainly strange…

"It appears some large boulders have fallen onto the path from the heavy rains these last few days." He gestured towards where they normally bypassed the village, showing the dirty road below complete barricaded with large gray boulders. "We'll have to go through the village, it's the only way… It shouldn't take very long."

"Then that's just as fine, Capricorn. I'm in no rush anyway…"

"Perhaps, but certainly you must know that the citizens of the Town of Magnolia don't take very kindly to… People of your stature, yes?"

Lucy frowned- certainly she was aware that her family wasn't on the best of the terms with the "free" town of Magnolia, as they didn't take kindly to people of power and prefered to strictly run themselves.

Personally Lucy was apalled that such a town could exist without a party overseeing its management -certainly there would be fights and disputes every night without order- but she also supposed it wasn't her business. So long as they left each other alone, no trouble could arise.

"We'll just be passing through, Capricorn." She spoke in her refined voice that had been primmed to perfection ever since the day she uttered her first word. "It shouldn't be a bother to them if we just happen by."

"As you wish, Lady Lucy."

The carriage heaved as Capricorn changed direction, Lucy adjusting in her seat to prepare for the bumpy trip. Seldom had she actually been in Magnolia, but she knew well enough that the simple town didn't share in the luxuries of her estate…

"At least we're not headed through that dreaded forest… Mum will be pleased at least," Lucy sighed to herself. "Not that's there's anything to worry about… Mystical creatures, I wish."

Something extraordinary to take the ordinary right out of her life…

She'd appreciate it.

* * *

The fancy carriage had to lower its speed when it entered the town. Lucy watched eagerly through the window, curious to see what a free town looked like. Her enthusiasm deflated when disappointment filled her heart again as she laid eyes on the dirty streets, the wobbly houses, and the chickens and dogs running freely here and there. It was an ordinary town. Just like the others. Nothing special at all.

She sighed, preparing to close the velvet curtains of her window when she caught the icy glares a group of kids sent her as the carriage slowly passed next to them. Unanimous gazes of contempt came at her from all sides, and if she wasn't comfortable before, she certainly wasn't now.

Lucy almost fell onto the floor as the carriage abrutly stopped, partially sinking on one side.

"Lady Lucy!" Capricorn called out to his mistress, sounding heavily distressed. "The wheel is stuck in a hole! I won't be able to fix this alone; I must ask for help."

"Fine, but get us out of here- quickly please," she answered nervously, remaining patiently in the carriage.

In spite of her wish of adventure, she definitely didn't like the children's harsh glares. They weren't alone now- other toddlers and adults gathered to create a budding crowd around the lost travellers. They were all ominously silent, but their faces spoke more than enough.

Lucy felt sweat dripping down her back, probably spoiling her corset. She saw Capricorn heading towards strong-looking men, then starting to calmly talk with them. Her servant looked so small and feeble compared to them, dwarfed by their size and intimidation. He pointed at her carriage and explained the situation; the men scowled in disgust at him, then darted their eyes at _her_.

The blond gulped and tried to calm her heart. It was obvious she didn't fit among these people, her bright clothing contrasting with the dulled rags the peasants were wearing. She truly didn't believe they were bad people, but with the way they silently singled her out...

Lucy didn't feel right at all in the free town. She didn't belong here, and the inhabitants seemed to think so as well. She decided to try a friendly gesture, putting on her brightest smile and waving at the children.

This simple action from the noble triggered the town's boiling disapproval. Faces broke into scowls, eyes narrowed disgustedly, men spat on the ground, and a grumbling chorus of voices arose.

Among many haggard shouts, "You filthy nobles!" was all Lucy could clearly distinguish.

Her face turned red from the shame rising in her chest. What did she do wrong? She was too preoccupied to pull herself together from all the insults to see the dark figure on the rooftop shifting, shrouded in shadow and staying out of sight. Too many hateful eyes were upon her for Lucy to feel the heavily curious gaze also locked onto her.

Lucy finally snapped out of her trance when she heard a loud punch. Capricorn was suddenly lying on the ground, unconscious. The horrified girl didn't have time to scream, as she felt the carriage begin to shake under the force of the rocks the villagers started to throw.

"Get outta your fancy cart, you goddamn noble!"

"Get lost! Our town doesn't need a rich snob like you here!"

"You scared, ya prim little prude?!"

"What's she gonna do to us anyway?! She's too dainty to even lift a finger for herself!"

Tears formed in the lady's eyes as she started to hyperventilate. Like an animal in a cage, she was trapped in her carriage with no way out. Capricorn was beaten right in front of her eyes, blood was dripping from his mouth and the side of his head… She could see his chest rising and falling slower than it should've been... He was dying in front of her.

Lucy sobbed and frantically glanced around for an escape, but to no avail.

"Die! You damn thief!" A closer voice shouted.

Lucy shifted her head towards it. Suddenly her eyes widened in fear as she caught sight of a sharp rock heading rapidly towards her head. No time to avoid it.

She closed her eyes and lifted her arms protectively in front of her to brace for the eventual impact, but the hit never came.

She slowly brought her eyes over her to see what happened, only for them to grow in size once again.

A tall figure stood in front of her window, with a white-gloved hand firmly grasping the massive rock that could have blown her head off.

"Are y'all insane?!"

Pink hair. A male, livid, _fierce_ voice.

"She didn't do anything wrong! Just leave her be!"

This voice, this figure just saved her, and was now coming to her defense. Lucy's confused mind tried to process what happened, still stuck in a state of shock.

In the streets, the crowd fell silent at the man's intervention- if _man_ was the right word to use. An uncanny spark danced in his dark onyx eyes, unnaturally pointy canines prodded out of his mouth as he yelled... A fascinating aura seemed to surround him, despite the tattered cloak he wore shamelessly.

The adults couldn't keep their gaze off the surreal handsome man who was almost shining in the night. However the children started to sob as they saw something in this man the entranced adults couldn't.

Danger.

All too quickly the crowd moved back, leaning in closer to one another. Children quickly fled behind the legs of parents for cover, shuddering at the display of the man before them. One young boy fisted his dad's coat in his little hand.

"D-Daddy, that mister is scary…"

"It's all right Romeo, I won't let him hurt you."

"But it was perfectly fine to hurt this guy?!" The stranger suddenly snapped back, gesturing to Capricorn. He snarled at the crowd as he took a step forward, now making even the adults flinch.

"SOMEBODY ANSWER ME!"

Lucy gasped as the gutteral scream escaped from her frightening savior, only able to listen as the crowd was once more whipped into uproar. Their issue with her had all but faded with the all-encompassing presence of the stranger. The threatening aura he gave off was enough to push back the masses even without the sneer he wore.

For a split second, his sharp gaze darted over his shoulder, locking eyes with Lucy's.

The look he wore stole her breath away even without an exchanging of words.

"All right, all right, coming through! What the hell is going on?!"

The atmosphere shifted once again at the sound of a grunting female, and peering carefully through the window Lucy saw a bit of white pushing its way through the crowd. People shifted from being harshly elbowed, and eventually out of the crowd came a young woman only slightly older than Lucy herself.

Her white hair was pulled into a ponytail that sat high on her head, and her striking blue eyes practically had the power to pierce through souls. Even from a distance, Lucy grew goosebumps from the paralyzing gaze.

The white haired woman stopped in front of the crowd, standing only a few steps away from the carriage and the strange man.

In her state of shock, Lucy couldn't help but gasp when she saw this visibly strong woman's outfit. She wore men's trousers! A weapon hung on her belt! And her posture was slouched like an animal ready to pounce…!

A rush of newfound fear chilled Lucy's veins as she watched the woman examine the situation, her expression dressed with a frown. Nobles, a dead man sprawled in the streets… Then her hardened gaze fixated on the noble's cloaked savior. He emitted a supernatural aura that was impossible to ignore, especially for her expertly trained mind. There was no way he could be just any human…

But the longer she looked at him, the two of them stuck in their showdown of stares, each passing second like an eternity, something eventually started to click. Something horribly unpleasant.

"Dark eyes...and pink hair," she whispered, as though the words hadn't be intended to slip out.

A memory stirred deep in the woman's mind. Her frown deepened and she glared daggers in his direction. Words weren't needed to get her message across, and he had received it loud and clear.

"It's _him_..." Her hand grabbed the handle of her weapon as she crouched into a fighting pose. "After all this time… You finally decide to show your disgusting face!"

"Tch…" The stranger tried to keep up the tough guy act, but anyone could see the way he tensed upon her calling him out. He looked as though he was prepared to flee, but never took his eyes off the threatening female before him.

"Mira! Mira, what's happening?"

An extremely tall and muscular blond man with a scar on his face appeared from the crowd, with a scarlet haired woman at his side. Lucy wondered how many scary people this town possessed. These two looked stronger than the one apparently called Mira, and yet a powerful -and heavily threatening- dark aura surrounded her.

"It's him! The beast! The beast we've hunted for two years!" Mira shouted, and suddenly the crowd was thrown into a frantic uproar.

Their daze broken, the villagers forgot about their previous fear and moved to get behind their leaders. All emotion left their faces as they closed in on the cloaked stranger, nothing on their minds other than hatred. Lucy and her poor servant weren't even a thought anymore.

The scarlet haired woman unsheathed her sharp sword, and the tall man tightened his fist in front of him. The moving crowd came alive once more with a string of insults, but this time directed towards Lucy's savior.

"Monster!"

"Beast!"

"We're gonna kill you!"

"You deserve to die!"

Lucy saw the pink-haired man shake in front of her and take a step backwards. Would he be beaten up by those people like her dear Capricorn too? She couldn't let them; the man had saved her and he was going to pay for it… What was wrong with these people?!

But before the noblewoman had the time to get out of her carriage and support her only friend, he was gone, slipping away as fast and silent as a cat. Lucy blinked, then tried to follow with her eyes his shadowy figure running in the dark streets.

The crowd didn't wait to react- a sizeable group went to arms and ran after him, yelling and calling other men and women. The rest of the crowd scattered and locked themselves in their homes. They didn't need to see the bloodshed that was certain to follow.

Soon enough, Lucy was alone in the main street, in her broken carriage, next to the motionless body of her servant.

Alone and scared.

* * *

 _Blood. So much blood. He wants it. It calls him._

 _Scared. Scared and hungry._

 _Monster!_

 _Did you… bite me?_

 _Run. That's the only way. Or he'll lose his mind._

… _For eternity..._

 _Run and hide._

… _You shall never rest…_

 _Natsu, where are you? Are you lost?_

… _You shall never be loved again._

The running man shook his head and picked up his pace. He couldn't stay in this town. He couldn't fight them. Anything could happen if he lost control of himself… Why did he help that girl? She was stuck in the town anyway...

Suddenly hunters appeared in the street in front of him, blocking the way to the forest. It was strange- the town had changed so much since the last time he'd been there. New buildings had come into being, a fountain had been placed into town... It was almost beyond recognition.

Something sharp suddenly stabbed into his leg, making him hiss in pain as he turned to find the source. A silver-bladed knife was jetting out of his calf, and pulling it out made his face contort.

"Oh, does that hurt? That's not even the worst of it."

The sickeningly sweet voice came from the approaching Mira, sporting a sadistic grin that borderlined between furious, relieved, and somewhat crazy. She twirled another of those knives between her fingers, her other hand still latched on the weapon at her side.

"Nowhere to run now!" she cackled as she threw the second one; this time he was ready and swiftly ducked away, carefully backpedalling. The last thing he wanted was to hurt these people… But if they got too close… He didn't know how much longer he could hold back.

* * *

"Capricorn… Capricorn?!"

Lucy's hand shook as she reached for her beloved and loyal servant, eyes stark wide horror as he didn't respond to her touches. She finally managed to worm her way out of the carriage with the crowd gone, but… It wasn't soon enough.

"Those people… Those awful people!" Lucy screamed as tears stung at her eyes. "How could they do this to somebody?! He just wanted some help…!"

The injustice of it all was suffocating, and the more Lucy thought about it the harder she shook. What would she tell her parents? What about the rest of the staff at the estate? There was no one around who'd be willing to help- they all shut themselves in their homes as a firm reminder that they weren't friendly… At least, not to nobles.

"Oh Capricorn," Lucy trembled as she ripped a small part of her dress off to wrap around his wound. It wasn't much, and it probably wouldn't help, but with the carriage trapped and her unable to carry him, her options were limited. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry! You didn't deserve this…"

And neither did her savior, she reminded herself with a start. He was being hunted like an animal right at that very moment, assailed with names like "beast" and "monster"... How could he possibly be any of those things if he was the only one in this town that showed even a shred of compassion?

"I have to go after him," Lucy whispered as she tried to stand on her shaky legs.

She wasn't thinking straight, unable to imagine how to help him and where it would lead her… She didn't see anything else she could do.

"If I couldn't save Capricorn, then I have to save that man!"

It took her a moment to regain her balance as she rose to her feet, leaning on the carriage for support. She panted heavily, able to hear the outcries of angry people towards the center of the town. Renewed determination filled her as she headed off in that direction, running as fast as her legs would allow.

"Monster! Evil creature!"

The chants rang in her ears, growing louder as she followed the angry sounds.

"Slay him! Slay him!"

She didn't understand, didn't understand at all! Was death truly a punishment for protecting a noble in this town?! These people were ruthless barbarians!

"Put his head on a stake and turn the remains to ashes!"

Not a single shred of humanity in them if they couldn't even spare a life.

* * *

"Get your fill everyone, before _I_ properly end him…" Mirajane exclaimed.

The hunters murmured and smirked in approval, looking forward to hurting the object of their hatred.

The merciless woman watched the growing carnage with narrowed eyes and her knife still twirling about in her hand. The angry mob had closed in on the caped stranger and went at him with everything they had: pitch forks, gardening tools, kitchen utensils, and the crowd-favorite being the rocks that seemed to be in constant supply.

The man currently under siege could only shield his face as he endured the constant bombardment of rocks. A few times he felt their weapons stab into him, but nothing was nearly as bad as where he'd been impaled with the knife. The blood oozed from the wound and crawled down his leg…

… He could have let his anger explode. He could have wiped them all out in a second, but instead, he struggled against an insane battle taking place in his head. His mind was torn between his instincts driven wild by all the blood filling his nostrils, and his reason, ordering him not to fight… Ordering him to let them strike him down… If he wanted to redeem himself.

He _was_ a monster. But he protected the blond lady. He didn't do anything wrong this time. He couldn't die. It wasn't fair this time.

The next time a villager stabbed a pitch fork at him, he grabbed it on instinct.

Immediately the crowd recoiled when he yanked it back and brought the wielder of the weapon with it, bringing his face closer to the villager's still holding the pitch fork. Locking eyes, he snarled fiercely, making a show of his sharpened canines.

A yelp escaped from the villager as he surrendered the weapon and scrambled off, leaving the injured and smirking man to use it to support himself.

Battered, bruised, and bloody, he hardly looked threatening anymore, and yet his dark fiery eyes were enough to scare the mob. Everyone had given up on the weapons after he had managed to turn one into a makeshift crutch… aside from one person.

"Dammit!" he hissed as another knife wedged into his left arm, eyes bulging in agony. Mira scoffed and pulled out a third knife, already taking aim again.

"Crap, I'm outta practice, I missed…" She grumbled.

"Tch, if it were me I would have straight up stabbed him," remarked the tall blond man. Mira pouted and glared at him.

"Shut up Laxus! I want his pain to be slow and agonizing… Just like what he did to her…"

"But that's impractical," smirked the redhead, making Mira fume with anger. "You should know that these monsters need to be killed on the spot-"

"Fine! You can take your arrogance and shove it, Erza!" Mira's cold blue gaze darted back onto the shaking man leaning on the pitchfork. "I'll make it quick… But I won't make it painless."

"I'm not…. I refuse to hurt anyone…" The pale man wheezed, the pain stealing his breath away.

His spiraling mind slipped back into a state of desperation, suppressed guilt rising back to the surface. Mirajane made the assertive walk over to him. She nearly spat at his words, now gritting her teeth as a vein nearly popped on her forehead.

"Hmph! Betcha weren't thinking that two years ago, you monster!" Mira snapped back, wasting no time in raising her knife again.

The dull glint of the knife seemed to fill the so-called monster's vision, though he found himself not really wanting to move anyway. His life wasn't worth much to begin with.

"You people leave him _alone_!"

The man snapped back to reality just as Mira was a few mere steps away from him, but suddenly the powerful feminine fragrance he smelled earlier filled his nose and nearly made his head spin all over again. There was a flash of bright orange, red spots, and maybe a flicker of blond hair, but all his senses were overridded by the horrid scream that rippled into the air afterward.

People gasped. Time slowed. Blood spattered. The man's eyes widened as they locked onto the young woman next to him, and he slammed his hand over his nose. Blood mixed with her light hint of vanilla... Such a wonderful, powerful, and insanely tempting scent… He couldn't let it get to him !

Lucy heaved as she grabbed at the fresh wound at her side, Mirajane looking horrified as she withdrew the knife. For the moment, the crowd had gone remarkably silent- even though they despised nobles, harming one was practically asking for a death wish.

Yet the noblewoman in question didn't seem to be bothered with social standing right now, instead throwing her head over her shoulder. Even though the lady was consumed with pain and her voice was juddering, she still managed a smile at her savior.

"C'mon, go, get out of here! Do it now!" She whispered painfully. The stilled crowd was spurred back into action, appalled at her words and raising their weapons in protest once again.

"That idiot noble is trying to let him get away!"

"How dare she after what he's done!"

"These two should both be punished!"

"NOW!" Lucy screamed at the paralyzed man, catching him gaping at her in surprise. This helped him break his daze. He tried hard to forget all the confused desire he inexplicably felt for the blond lady who had saved his life in return...

But she was right, he had to go _now_. The villagers were pulling themselves together, and their collectively fierce glares indicated they weren't done with him. With a quiet nod to the lady, he staggered away as best he could, doing his best not to look back...

A strange whistled melody filled the air and stopped the whole crowd dead in their tracks, giving them goosebumps. The monster was calling something. A second later, a dark animal arrived from the forest, flapping its crooked wings vigorously.

'That's a big bat…' Lucy thought and blinked her tired eyes.

The animal caught the collar of its master, lifted him in the air, and they both vanished in the darkness of the forest.

All of this happened so quickly, and the injured noble wondered if she hadn't dreamed it before suddenly being pulled forward.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Mira hissed, gripping the drowsy Lucy by the low-cut collar of her dress. "Do you know _what_ you just saved, _Lady Idiot_?"

Lucy closed her eyes and sobbed.

"Please… Mercy…"

"Tchh… You don't know who you're dealing with. We'll take care of you later. You're not important. Come on guys, let's chase him !"

She raised her weapon in the air and ran after their target, quickly followed by enthusiastic yelling. Once again, Lucy was left alone in the village, not far from the forest, with nobody to help her. And this time, _she_ was the one injured on the ground.

She let her tears fall freely down her face as she became neglected. Her brain was starting to lose its grip on reality. She collapsed to the ground and covered her face with her arm, the other one still gripping on her wounded side. She was going to die in this awful village, just like Capricorn.

* * *

Behind the closest house, a tiny dark shadow appeared and stared at the wounded girl. Yellow eyes filled with tears looked up at another taller figure behind the house.

"Natsu… She's dying…"

"I know… I can smell it… Damn, why did you bring me back here, Happy?!"

"Because she saved you! We have to take her with us!"

"I can't!" The desperate man whimpered and pinched his nose. "She smells so good, so strong! I can't… I… I'm afraid I might…"

"No you won't! You didn't before I arrived! And yet there wasn't only her blood! Come ooooon, pleeease Natsuuu!"

The injured man looked down at his pleading companion. She wasn't like any of the other humans... She could have believed he was actually a monster and run away to hide somewhere, but instead she came to help him, and was stabbed in his place.

He wanted to heal her, and thank her. He wanted to know her name. But he also had deeper and darker desires… Tasting her blood… Feeling her scent and her hot fluid filling him… Kissing her, licking her, making her his…

"Natsu? Hello? Come back to Happybat!"

Natsu blinked then frowned.

"See Happy! This is a terrible idea… I'm already having sinful fantasies, dammit!" He held his head in his hands. "And it's not _just_ about drinking her blood... I can't, this will end badly!"

"Oooooh…" The bat grinned in realization. "You liiiiiike her!"

"Shut up!" His friend hissed.

"Now that it's final, we take her with us, come on!"

Natsu didn't have time to catch the bat, who was already flying towards the unconscious blond lady. She had fainted not that long ago, leaving Happy to scoop her up with no resistance… Except from Natsu.

"HAPPY! COME BACK HERE!" Natsu yelled as quietly as he could.

"No." The bat simply answered. The flying animal grabbed her delicately by her waist belt, and lifted her. "Ughhh, she's heavy! Why does she wear such heavy clothes? You chose a weirdo, Natsu."

"I didn't _choose_ her!" He glared daggers at the bat and followed from afar, a scarf pressed on his nose. "Just hurry up. I can't run like this, you'll have to fetch me. Avoid the hunters."

"Who do you think I am?" Happy grinned joyfully with a wink.

* * *

Erza glanced at her rival and friend worriedly. Mirajane was fuming, ready to destroy anything that went against her. They entered Magnolia side by side, with the pitiful hunters following them. They had searched for the beast all night, and yet… They never found him.

"I can't believe what happened tonight." Laxus arrived to join them. "We finally have proof that this monster exists. But he wasn't looking very dangerous to me. He just had luck to get away."

"He was holding back Laxus, obviously." The very observative Erza stated.

"Why would he hold back? He's a _beast_."

"I'm just telling you what I saw. If he decides to fight us properly someday, he will be a much more powerful opponent."

Mirajane remained silent, her lips pursed and her fists clenched. She was so close to getting revenge like she promised… But this wasn't over. They would find him again. The hunters would train, more and more every day, to defeat him.

They arrived at the street where the stupid lady decided to intervene, resulting in that injury. Her blood now colored the muddy ground… But she was gone. The three hunters frowned.

"Where is she?!"

"Wake up the rest of the village." Erza ordered. "It might be in our best interest that we find her, she can be useful. I recognized her carriage's insignia, she from the Heartfilia family. We could bargain with the patriarch."

"I'm sure it's him… He took her… "

Mira was mumbling to herself, curling and uncurling her fist in aggravated thought. But then, in a sudden change of pace, her shoulders started to shake as she broke out into an insane laugh.

"...The silly girl; she should have let us kill him."

Erza and Laxus glanced at each other and frowned.

"Let's search for her nonetheless," Erza suggested carefully. "We don't know for certain if it's him or not."

They turned around to give their orders to the other hunters, while Mira looked up at the moon, then straight into the deep forest.

"I'll find you, Beast. You made _two_ mistakes tonight… Showing up, and taking the noble… So many enemies now… Can you handle it?"


	3. Act II, Part 1

**~Act 2~  
**

 **~Of old castles and mysterious inhabitants~**

 _ **Part 1**_

 _Look at me Father, I'm a knight!_

 _Lucy dear, ladies like you can't be knights._

 _Why not?_

 _Because this is not proper. Ladies like you wear dresses like your mother; they marry Lords, raise their children, and organize balls._

 _But… That's so boriiiing…_

…

 _'Blondie… Wake up…'_

…

 _Of course fairies exist! They're evil creatures that murmur insane things in your ears while you sleep to give you nightmares! How could you not believe it Lucy?!_

 _I believe what I see, Lydia._

 _...believe what I see…_

 _...what I see..._

 _That's a big bat…_

 _Did you know_ what _you just saved, Lady Idiot?!_

…

 _'Weirdo… Wake up!'_

…

 _Did you know Lady Lucy is almost twenty-two and_ still _not married? She's such an old maid…and she doesn't believe in monsters…and doesn't like balls and gossips. Who would marry such a boring person…_

 _Yes, I decided to stop talking to her… Shush she's coming!_

 _Such dark eyes… Calling to her…_

 _Are y'all insane?!_

…

"...WAKE UP OR I'LL BITE YOU!"

Reality seemed to snap back into place as Lucy stirred, her senses cloudy while her visions from slumber faded away. Her whole body felt heavy and somewhat weak; it was hard to move, and yet still she insisted on adjusting herself to properly wake up.

"Ugh…it hurts…" Lucy mumbled during her attempt to move. She hissed as a sharp pain coursed through her side, and next thing she knew, she was flat on her back again, forced to face the dull-colored ceiling overhead. With a groan her eyes slipped shut once again, her entire being going limp.

Why was she hurt in the first place? Her head felt dizzy; she slightly opened her eyes again, grateful that the room wasn't too bright. She didn't have time to wonder what was happening to her, as she caught sight of an enormous shadow getting closer to her face without any warning.

"You have to stay down!" Happy exclaimed, flying over to nuzzle his head into her shoulder. "If you move too much right now, you'll open your wounds again! At least wait a few hours…"

"I…what?" Lucy stammered, grabbing her forehead and turning in the direction of the rather loud and high-pitched sound.

When she found a large blue bat grinning innocently back at her, she nearly tumbled off the couch again. Lucy scrambled as far away from the creature as she could get, biting back a scream. It was one thing to be caught off guard, but by a flying rat with wings...?!

Happy huffed at her less than pleasant reaction, resorting to puffing his tiny chest out.

"Hi!" He chirped as he unfolded his wings and spread them widely, as if he was presenting himself for an audience.

Panic overtook the delusional girl. One word from the bat was more than enough to send Lucy into wild hysterics, completely losing her composure and flailing her arms around in terror.

"...Kyaaaa!"

In the midst of her deliria, Lucy slapped the startled animal, knocking him to the floor. He then rubbed his head with the claw of his left wing as the tantalized woman's jaw fell open in astonishment, her voice robbed of any intelligent words. Every inch of her shook as her brain tried to process _what_ just talked to her.

"What in the world are you?! You can't…you can't possibly be a bat!" She screamed when her voice came back to her. "You're big…you're blue…YOU'RE TALKING!"

"Of course I'm not a bat- I'm a Happybat!" the flying animal declared as a matter of fact, grinning cheekily. "And rude much, but I suppose I can let you call me Happy for short…"

"Well sorry I'm not used to waking up to flying creatures in my face!" Lucy shot back instinctively before reality washed over her once again. She was arguing with a blue bat in a…in a…

She glanced around- where the heck was she?

"Wh-where am I?" she suddenly stammered with fear, pulling the blanket she was wrapped with up over her shoulders. Happy fluttered in front of her, watching curiously as Lucy tried to make sense of her surroundings.

It looked like a castle, with its regal dressings, huge spacious rooms, and walls made of brick, but it was just so dark…not even any candles were lit to provide some illumination. The only source of daylight was coming from the large window behind her.

As she continued to glance around with shaky breaths, something caught her eye in her peripheral vision. Whatever it was glowed from the depths of the perpetual darkness of the room. She could see two glimmering pinpricks from the shadows, like predator's eyes, hiding before it pounced on its prey...

Lucy stopped breathing; the glow began to move, advancing towards her and narrowing the space between them. The trembling woman couldn't force her body to move nor her voice to scream.

"...you were gonna die."

The dark figure finally came into the limited daylight, taking care not to approach her too quickly.

"But you helped me out, so I just returned the favor."

He stopped in a place where she could observe his traits, close to the couch, but deliberately not _too_ close. Lucy's fuzzy memories started to clear, and as she eyed his pink hair and dusty cloak, it suddenly clicked that he was the savior from earlier.

Her jaw dropped as all the recent events came back in her mind; the village, Capricorn, her savior being chased; her carelessly jumping in the way of that attack…Oh, Capricorn…

Tears gathered in her eyes, and the emotional girl grabbed her heart, causing Happy to look at her with concern.

"Augh!" Lucy shrieked as the tears flooded down her cheeks. "Oh no, I can't...what am I going to do...I shouldn't...I mustn't...I...what will I…"

Seeing her suddenly crying tugged at Natsu's heartstrings, but he remained silent. His grim gaze didn't show any compassion to the despairing young woman, as he tried hard to lock his feelings and desires in his heart.

Lucy bent down during her internal crisis, and whimpered when her wound hurt her as a result.

"I healed you. But you really should be careful with it."

She looked up at him with some confusion, then pulled the blanket from down around her and reached down to caress the bandage wrapped around her abdomen. Natsu winced slightly when he saw her porcelain skin through the torn dress, but shook it off.

The staring man eventually stopped studying her; he sighed and rolled himself up in his cape.

"So, yeah, thanks for helping me out," he added quickly with a cough. "...but as soon as you can walk again you need to leave."

The man's words echoed in Lucy's head, but she couldn't decipher the meaning, as she was lost in her despair and exhaustion.

"This is not happening… This is a dream… A nightmare… I'm going to wake up..."

She felt feverish and couldn't help shaking. Suddenly strong arms grabbed her shoulders and pushed her delicately back down on the couch. Lacking the strength to resist, Lucy did her best to get comfortable again, her eyes fluttering shut.

Natsu frowned and walked away from her as fast as he could, not wanting to be near her longer than he needed to. As he strolled away, he bypassed Happy and gave him a slightly bothered look.

"You shouldn't have awoken her Happy, she still needs to sleep."

"Oh… Sorry…" The bat answered guiltily, glancing back at the injured girl. "But she was having a nightmare…"

Natsu inhaled sharply at that; he knew precisely why Happy disliked watching people have nightmares, and he could understand why he acted.

"That's okay," Natsu assured quietly, still eager to leave. "Come on now, let her rest."

"I'll let her rest, I promise! I just don't wanna leave her alone…" Happybat explained. "I swear I won't wake her up again, even though she was being a meanie…"

Natsu appeared satisfied by this and nodded, vanishing from the dark room while his exhausted guest again entered a dream world where bats could talk among other fanatical things...

* * *

"I just had to play the hero…" Natsu grumbled to himself, leaning over the second story balcony and observing his slumbering unwanted guest. It hadn't been very long since he made her fall back asleep, and yet to him, he had been standing there for hours. "…as if I could ever be seen as anything other than a creep."

He pouted slightly as his thoughts traveled back to his time spent in the village. The little free town was a rather boring place if he was honest, but just the same, people buzzed about busy with their lives, and it broke up Natsu's monotonous routine. He had his own secluded spot picked out among the rooftops, allowing him a great vantage point.

And as long as he didn't move, no one ever saw him.

…but then again, he had moved for her.

That fancily-dressed lady was the first interesting sight Natsu got to lay eyes on in a while. From the sight of her carriage, he was certain some snobbish noble resided inside, but after getting that first glimpse of her face, she immediately had his attention.

She didn't carry that air of stuffiness so many others of her kind possessed. Her wide brown eyes gazed out the window with a sense of longing, which was something he himself could relate to, yet such an expression was foreign on any other member of her class…

She didn't even appear the least bit hostile, waving kindly at those she passed and wearing a smile that somehow got his heart to race. Luscious lips were pulled into a gracious grin that he just couldn't keep his eyes off of…

She was definitely something else at first sight. Something new and refreshing; something he wanted to catch and keep all for himself.

But then, the villagers lashed out at her with an unfounded rage; she hadn't even done anything wrong…and they attacked her.

Really, it was his disgust at the villagers' actions that spurred him to move in the first place, because how could so many people be collectively cruel?! He failed at keeping his temper in check, but thankfully he did well in not lashing out… All that blood, from the lady's servant...then his own…even some hunters were bleeding, but not because of him… This could have ended badly. He _was_ the monster they made him out to be…

"And yet still she came back to save me," Natsu sighed, his gaze never moving from the sleeping blonde. "Happy's right…such a weird girl…"

That girl had the chance to escape, and yet she didn't take it, instead nearly getting herself killed for his sake! Such a foolish move, but still he felt grateful to her, because someone had cared just enough to even bother to do that for him. Her voice had been strong with conviction and unwavering resolve, and he'd just been so mesmerized that it stunned him for a moment. No one had ever gotten a reaction like that out of him before.

"Not to mention that smell of hers!" Natsu complained in a nasally whine, flushing as he instinctively pulled his scarf over his face once more. It had been quite some time since he had been so close to anyone, but never had any given off an aroma like she did.

For centuries he had learned to get used to the attractive smell of humans, allowing him to walk among them without fear of losing control…as long as no blood was involved of course. But her smell seemed to invite him to come closer, to lose the control he struggled so hard to gain…

Even from the rooftop back in the village, this bewitching scent assailed his nose, and he could see the pulse on her immaculate neck… How would it feel to sink his teeth in that tender flesh, to feel the hot fluid pour into his mouth… How would it feel to caress the beautiful skin of her stomach he had gotten a sneak peak of earlier...

"Waaaake _up_ Natsu!" He forcefully hit his head against the edge of the balcony on purpose, yelling at himself to get a grip.

He inhaled deeply to calm his raging instincts, but the strong amount of feminine flavor that came from the room didn't help to extinguish his inner desire. He couldn't believe he had had the strength to make it through healing her wounds- without Happy, he certainly would have crossed the line of sanity and caved to his craving.

…Ugh, now that he thought about it, his favorite place to sit was going to utterly reek of her intoxicating scent for ages now. Wonderful.

"Baaaaah…"

Natsu began to leave his perch, taking a few moments to glance over his shoulder and steal another look at the beauty of a woman napping on his couch. She remained unthreatening even while she slept, the features on her face having softened considerably and making her look almost…vulnerable…like he could swoop down there in a single bound and pounce-!

"Nuh-uh, nope," Natsu immediately denied himself, sweeping his cape out behind him as he officially took his leave. He'd seen enough, and lingering any longer would have his mind dancing with sinful thoughts again. "Tch…if she knows what's good for her, she'll just get out of here…and quickly."

He vanished back into his room, hoping that when he came out again, that girl would have the sense to make it so that he'd never see her again.

* * *

Lucy cracked her eyes open once again, blinking several times as her recent memories returned to her mind. This was the second time she woke up, and she felt much more refreshed than before, ready to confront her new situation. She shifted under the blanket, finding that she wasn't nearly as sore as before, and that both bat and strange man were nowhere in sight.

"Huh," she mused, rubbing at her eyes. "Perhaps all of that was nothing more than just a dream…"

That was the only plausible explanation. She had been hallucinating because of her trauma.

"Pffft, a giant talking bat… I read too much." She face-palmed, a weak smile blooming on her face for the first time since her disastrous encounter with the villagers.

"Mother would love to gossip about this new monster." The girl yawned then froze all of a sudden.

A snore emerged in the silent room and echoed on the walls, but Lucy could hear the source was extremely close to her…

She frantically turned her head to the left and right, but nothing was on the floor, nor on the couch with her. Another louder snore reverberated through the room, right behind her head lying on the pillow.

Lucy bent her head backwards, causing her spine to arch painfully, and saw _it_. The bat. Snoring on a table beside the couch. The prudent young woman spun herself around silently, trying her best not to awake the incredulous creature. She used her forearms to raise herself just at the level of the animal.

It was a blue and enormous bat; she certainly didn't dream that part…

'Since when can bats snore?!' was her first startled thought. The bat turned in its sleep and scratched its belly. That was even weirder. It really reminded her of the mystical creatures all her friends, family and servants always talked about…

"No." She couldn't help but whisper, a frown on her face. "Those sort of _things_ don't exist. There must be a logical explanation."

"Oh hey! You're awake!"

"Kyaaaa!" Lucy jumped from her spot and crawled to the other side of the couch, eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Do you always scream like that when people talk to you?" The thing flew off the small table and landed on the girl's lap.

"People?! You're _definitely_ not people!"

"I thought you'd be less rude after you rested…" The bat pouted.

"I can't believe it…" Lucy, forgetting about her first instinctive fear, gawked at the talking animal with inquisitive eyes.

She very slowly reached out a hand to touch the amazing creature her mind still couldn't accept the existence…

"Oh you want to pet me? Ok!" The bat grinned joyfully and almost hit the approaching hand with his head, eager to feel the caress of the weird lady.

Lucy jolted but didn't pull her hand away. She cocked her head to the side in bewilderment, as she saw the cute bat snuggling in her hand and…purring.

"Are you…some sort of cat?!" She asked, still searching for a plausible explanation.

"No I told you! I'm a Happybat!"

"I still don't get what that means…" Lucy sighed.

"Well I don't know how to be clearer than that!" Happy answered, puzzled. "What's your name anyway, strange lady?"

Lucy blinked before sitting up a little straighter, a small smile creasing her cheeks. "My name's Lady Lucy Coralie Astrid...unfortunate heiress to the House of Heartfilia…"

"Wow that's a mouthful!" Happy gasped as his eyes bugged out. "I'mma just call you Lucy for short~"

"That's just as fine," Lucy laughed gently in spite of herself, inwardly gasping at the sound. It had been awhile since she'd had a reason to laugh at all, and doing so again...it felt nice. And Happy wasn't half-bad either...

"...so do you...live here, Happy?"

"Aye sir!" the bat declared proudly. "I lived here my whole life, ever since I was a little Happybat!"

"You don't say," Lucy mused with palpable interest, now taking a more attentive look around the castle now that she wasn't bogged down with drowsiness and exhaustion.

Perhaps, upon second inspection, if the atmosphere hadn't been so bleak and foreboding, the place _could_ have been considered homey. Ancient-looking pictures hung from the walls, though the colors of what they were supposed to depict had faded with time. The furniture was arranged in a neat way, as though it was meant for company, but random piles of clutter dotted the floor and took away any possible appeal. Lucy crinkled her nose at that- not even she was immune to the repulsiveness of a mess.

"I seriously doubt anyone could live here," she remarked, ignoring Happy's presence for the moment. "It's so empty...and almost lonely…"

"Well, it might not look like much, but it is home," Happy defended without missing a beat. "And I guess it's pretty empty, but no way is it lonely, cuz for a really long time it's been me and- oh HI Natsu!"

Lucy jolted at Happy's abrupt outburst, the bat now looking somewhere up above her and eagerly waving a wing.

"Natsu?" she whispered, testing the name on her tongue as she followed Happy's stare. At first she didn't see anything, because it was so dark, but a shadow shifted as she pronounced the name… The moment she locked eyes with the man peering down at her from above, she saw more than ever before.

His pink hair was blazing in the firelight, pointing in every direction around his angular and perfect face. Straight nose, a large forehead, flawless tan skin, and such deep sparkling eyes... Lucy felt like she could sink in their darkness. This exceptional face was mesmerizing in a supernatural way… If he wasn't several feet above her, she would have tried to touch it, like the moth obsessed with the flame… Only the fear of being burned would retain her hand.

He was still wearing his dusty cloak, but it wasn't hiding his imposing and strong physique, and Lucy could easily imagine the well sculpted body he might possess… If only he could remove it… She just wanted to see…

Lucy blushed at this inappropriate thought… What was wrong with her, all of a sudden? She never thought of a man like this before, and yet she had met very handsome specimen of the opposite gender.

Upon noticing her checking him out, Natsu couldn't resist shooting a prideful smirk her way. The sudden twitch of his lips pulled Lucy out of her awestruck trance. She hastily turned away and scolded herself for getting so absorbed by his charms. Savior or not, she still had no idea what this guy was like…

"Natsu, how come you keep slinking around up there?!" Happy shouted obnoxiously. "You should come down here and talk to Luuuucy! She's weird but kinda funny!"

"Why? There's no reason to get to know her," Natsu retorted in a strained tone. Lucy actually felt a small stab of offense at that. "She'll be leaving soon enough…"

"But I like Lucy!" Happy insisted with wide eyes. "Can we keep her?! Please?!"

"What? No! We're not keeping anyone!"

"I'll feed her, I promise! And I'll take her for walks and keep her groomed-!"

"I'm right here you know- stop talking about me like I'm a pet!" Lucy interjected. They were acting like she wasn't even there! She threw skeptical look at Natsu, frowning at him. "You were so quick to come to my rescue and now you're trying to kick me out to the streets."

"Kick you out to the- what gives?! You're a noble, ain't ya?!" Natsu hissed, clutching the railing of the balcony and narrowing his eyes. "If by 'the streets' you mean that fancy-pants mansion you probably have filled with all those servants catering to ya, then so sorry for my lack of tact!"

"Don't act like you know anything about my life," Lucy shot back with a narrowed expression. Natsu tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Then tell me I'm wrong. Tell me there ain't nobody waiting for you back at your place."

Lucy started to answer, but she stopped herself, cringing. Sure, her parents still weren't back yet, but had they been, they'd be ready to scold her for her detour and supply who knew how many extra study sessions as a punishment. Not all of her servants were bad either, but they had an obligation to report everything to her parents…

So one way or another, the moment Lucy returned home, she would be shackled with the burdens of empty responsibilities…and treated as nothing more than an item rather than a human being.

Her stomach churned just at the idea of having to go back to that, especially after this little taste of freedom… Her savior wasn't being the most pleasant person ever right now, but he'd given her more selfless care and attention than she certainly would have gotten back at home…

"Thought so," Natsu grunted when Lucy fell into the silence of her thoughts, running his fingers through his hair. "Dunno why you're so adamant on staying anyway…"

Lucy glumly brought her eyes back up to Natsu, still not sure of what she wanted to do. He frowned at her a final time before making a move to leave, deeming the conversation over.

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you…"

"Yes, you are," Natsu finalized, whirling around and all set to march off once again. Lucy puffed out her cheeks in annoyance- how dare someone so blatantly brush her off!

"No, you are _not_!"

In a huff, Lucy sprang from the couch, gently clutching her side as she rose to her feet. There was a slight delay to her movements as she walked, but she was stubborn, managing to get all the way to the stairs in an attempt to catch Natsu.

Yet as soon as she lifted a leg to climb the first step, Lucy immediately realized that was not a good idea and backed off. She panted through the pain, glaring at the staircase that was keeping her from confronting that mysterious man…

"Oh, you wanna see Natsu? Why didn't you just say so?!" Happy exclaimed cheerfully. Before Lucy could even explain herself, the bat had glided over and latched onto her dress, lifting her off the ground and carrying her up over the staircase. Lucy screeched as she suddenly felt weightless, quickly clutching her dress.

"Aiiii, how are you even doing this?!" Lucy demanded. Last time she checked, bats certainly weren't able to haul people off whenever they wanted!

"Well your weight isn't it making it easy," Happy pointed out with a grunt. "How come your clothes are made of lead?!"

"They are not! It's a triple-layer of fleece sown under two layers of satin and silk and lace for-"

"Oh well if it's not the dress, then your body must be what's heavy!"

"Are you calling me fat?!"

"Well you're not a twig…"

Lucy groaned exasperatedly, having a feeling that she wasn't going to be able to win this argument. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Happy dropped her with an overdramatic gasp, causing her to make a face at him. Happy shrugged as best he could in response.

"So where'd your master go anyway?" Lucy inquired, looking in the direction Natsu had wandered off in. Happy blinked in confusion, then rapidly shook his head.

"Huh? Natsu's not my master, silly! He's my best friend!"

Lucy froze and stared at the bat incredulously. "You mean to tell me...that guy...thinks of a flying animal as his best friend?!"

"Well, yeah! He _did_ raise me from an egg and-"

"...what?! That's insane! BATS DON'T COME FROM EGGS!"

"BUT I'M A HAPPYBAT!"

"Ugh, is that your excuse for everything?" Lucy grumbled disdainfully afterwards, dropping the subject as she cast her gaze at the floor. She was finding it really hard to believe that this so-called 'Natsu' was anything friendly. He might've helped her out, but his attitude was something less than pleasant… that alone was enough to make her rethink everything.

Happy seemed to sense her discomfort, as he chose right then to hover in front of her and stare innocently into her eyes.

"Natsu really is a good person...you just gotta get to know him!" he defended with a smile, trying to cheer Lucy up. "Now c'mon- I probably have an idea of where he went…"

Lucy had no reason to argue, so she nodded quietly and let Happy lead the way. For now, it seemed like the bat was the only one on her side, which would be just fine and dandy if she wasn't still trying to accept that fact that something like him existed…!

But still, her mind was far more full of questions concerning Natsu, and she refused to make another move until she knew more about his motives.

Something was definitely off about him, his castle, and his Happybat...and hopefully soon she could finally get some answers.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Doublepasse: Hey Child! How would you sum up this chapter? ;)**

 **CaHF: ...Long story short, Natsu's hot. :P**

 **Doublepasse: Totally approve... Such a hot and sweet cinnamon roll... I'd gladly take a bite!**

 **CaHF: He's being more of a sinnamon roll right now if you ask me. B)**

 **Doublepasse: Perfect for a sinful squirrel hehehe... I wonder how Lucy will handle such hotness...**

 **CaHF: Guess we'll have to find out next time, though she's certainly playing with fire~**

 **Doublepasse: THIS GIRL IS ON FIIIIRRREEEEE- Ok I'm out. See ya guys!**


	4. Act II, Part 2

**~Act 2~  
**

 **~Of old castles and mysterious inhabitants~**

 _ **Part 2**_

Natsu opened the curtains and let the feeble daylight illuminate his room _._ He cringed as the light stung his pale skin, but he didn't move away from the window. He needed this simple pain… He inhaled, stretching more of his neck over his scarf to expose it to the light.

He was in the middle of enjoying the addictive sensation when Happy's cheerful chattering echoed through the corridors, accompanied by that smell. Natsu groaned in a way that was almost a wince as he pulled his scarf over his face. _This lady_ just awoke from her trauma and was already a bother. She would never leave him at peace during her time in the castle, he could predict it already…

Natsu gritted his teeth as the door creaked open, Happy releasing a shout of victory while _her_ scent poured in, practically drowning his nose in it.

"What do you want…?" He sighed defeatedly, refusing to turn his head towards them.

"Why are you acting like that?" Lucy asked.

" _I'm_ the same as usual."

"No you're not!" Happybat exclaimed, appearing in front of Natsu's head. He then said in a hushed tone, "Natsu, she's your mate, don't be stupid…"

"Shut up, _you_ decided she was, not me…" Natsu hissed back. He flickered his gaze over to where Lucy was; he appreciated that she had the sense to stay over by the door, but why was she staring at him like that?!

"Why do you want me out so much? And why did you heal me if you don't like my presence in here?"

"I already answered that. I owed you, so I healed you. Now we're even; you can go when you feel better."

"And how exactly do you expect me to go back?!" she replied with a sarcastic tone. "I'm in the middle of nowhere; the only village nearby almost killed me; my carriage is broken, my friend is… dead…"

Natsu finally broke his staring contest with the window and looked at the wounded woman. She seemed so pale… Her initial shock from the attack was coming back to her, obviously. She was shaking, and she staggered towards the closest chair. Happybat immediately flew towards the sobbing girl and snuggled against her arm.

"...I still can't believe it…" Lucy sniffled, petting Happy and accepting the limited comfort he offered.

"I'm sorry."

The puffy-eyed lady looked up to her host; Natsu had unexpectedly spoken up.

"I'm sorry 'bout your servant…he was your _friend_?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes he is… He _was_."

"I've never heard of nobles being friends with the common people before." Natsu couldn't help the cackles that followed, but stopped immediately when he saw the daggers Lucy and Happybat were sending him.

"I-I mean… Sorry… I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you."

Lucy didn't answer. She wiped her eyes, and instictively felt gross for not using a handkerchief. But this strange man, who lived in an apparent huge castle yet didn't look like a lord, wasn't the slightest bit bothered.

"Y'know…" Natsu added softly, for once. "Happy can carry you, once you feel better."

"HEY! I'm not a delivery service!"

"You kinda are, little buddy…" Natsu snickered at the fuming bat, and this simple argument made Lucy smile a little.

"I'm not carrying her, she's heavy. You need my consent for that." Happybat crossed his wings under his puffy chest.

"You're impossible. How about..." Natsu stared at Lucy. "You write a letter to your family, and tell them to fetch ya on the road leading to Magnolia?"

The lady's eyes widened in fear.

"But… Don't you think _they_ will be there? Those awful people?! What if they wait for me and kidnap me and break my parents' other carriage and…oh my god…"

"Hey, hey, it's fine, relax!" An alarmed Natsu tossed his arms in front of him, as if it could chase away the panic attack of his guest.

Lucy breathed in and out and sunk in the armchair. She realized Natsu was much closer to her now. What an improvement.

"I have to write a letter, that's for sure." Lucy nodded, letting her gaze fall to the floor. "To warn the estate...about Capricorn. And to tell them I'm here."

Now it was Natsu's turn to look horrified. "What?! You can't tell them you're at my home!"

"But… What am I supposed to say then?!"

"Just tell them where to find you, on the outskirts of Magnolia, and they'll fetch you," Natsu suggested with a shrug. "That's not difficult!"

"Really?! And how will we know they're here?!"

"...I'll know, certainly."

Lucy puffed her cheeks out- this guy was infuriating! "And just how will you accomplish _that_ miracle, sir?!"

"That's my business," Natsu grunted assertively, his eyes narrowing as he glared at nothing in particular. Lucy shuddered at how quickly his tone had changed, but she let it go for now.

"Why can't I say I'm staying at your castle? What castle is it by the way? I've never heard of a castle in this area."

"Stop asking questions, you're getting too personal," Natsu complained as he rubbed his temples. "Where do you live?"

"...you do realize you're asking _me_ a personal question as well?"

"Please, I saw you nearly naked; I think I'm past that point with you."

"Eeeeeh?!" Lucy screeched, suddenly feeling violated as she instinctively covered herself. Happy only giggled at her reaction, while Natsu coolly shrugged- how else was he supposed to fix her up?

There was almost a twinkle in his eyes as he watched her freak out, and by the ghost of a smile coating his lips, Lucy knew he was enjoying it. She swatted at him for his questionable looks and that blatant comment in the first place; he easily slid out of her way and looked at her like she was crazy for trying.

"Hmph…" His attitude was absolutely insufferable to Lucy, but she had to admit, it was a refreshing change of pace to not have someone kissing the ground she walked on or trying to suck up to her to get in her father's good graces. To even be challenged the slightest bit...it was frankly entertaining.

And it made her drop her guard, just the slightest bit.

"...Heartfilia Estate."

"Huh?" Natsu piped up again, too busy snickering with Happy to hear her the first time. Lucy slightly flushed, glancing away as she clutched at her arms.

"Heartfilia Estate. That's where I live."

Natsu's face lit up with realization and some excitement, nodding firmly.

"All right then! In that case, Happy, you can fly there with her letter, and they will send somebody for you, and you can go back to your life…and everything will be back to normal!" He sighed in relief. Lucy's face fell at his wording, but it was Happy that voiced his thoughts.

"...I didn't say I would fly there. Where is it?"

"...You-you don't know where it is?!" Lucy stammered in shock and abruptly stood up from her chair.

"Errr, no?"

Lucy gaped at the bat before stepping closer to Natsu; Natsu took a giant step back. "Natsu, surely you must know where it is, right? It's one of the biggest estates of the country!"

"Nooot really…" Natsu coughed and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not really following the noble business, y'know?"

"...Noble business? What on earth are you talking about?! This is not 'business'! My family owned their estate for 150 years!"

"Not business," Natsu echoed in confusion, suddenly lost in his thoughts. "And so young too…"

"What?" Lucy huffed, tired of him mumbling to himself. Natsu snapped himself out of it and shook his head, running his fingers through his bangs.

"Ah, ain't nothing. Anyway, how do we get there?"

"I don't know! I'm never the one driving!"

Natsu groaned loudly at her as he threw up his hands.

"Great, so you can't send anything to your family."

"...apparently not. Unless your crazy neighbors decide to help me."

"I wouldn't count on that," Natsu snorted, rolling his eyes at the very thought. Lucy frowned at him before making her way over to the windowsill, proceeding to sit on it and gaze out over the horizon.

"How about the Macgardens?" She spoke up again. "Do you know them?"

"The what? Where is that? I've never heard of any gardens around here..."

"It's not a place; it's my family's ally." Lucy made a face at his ignorant tone. "And they are the parents of my best friend."

"I see...well then, where does she live? Maybe Happy knows how to go there!"

"I doubt it…" the bat grumbled, just as Lucy bit her lip nervously. She was trying to remember the specifics...she had just gotten back from traveling there…!

"Err… The Macgarden Estate?" she finally croaked out uncertainly. Natsu's face was utterly deadpanned.

"...you'll have to be more specific."

"The Tulip Mansion of the Macgarden Estate?"

Lucy cringed at the audible smack Natsu's hand made when it collided with his forehead. Frantically searching for a different solution to recover herself, she snapped her fingers and gestured at Happy.

"Happy, maybe you could take my letter to the nearest village and...give it to the postman!"

"The nearest village is Magnolia. They don't have a lot of mail since it's so small and it would be pretty easy for them to recognize your seal." Natsu answered on Happy's behalf. He folded his gloved hands behind his head and cocked an eyebrow at her. "By the way, do you even have your seal?"

Lucy tensed before quietly shaking her head. The situation was growing more and more hopeless by the minute...

"And...your estate people would open a letter with no seal?"

"I don't know! I never took care of that!" Lucy shouted in her defense, even though the truth wasn't making her case look any better. "Maybe we don't receive a lot of mail...or maybe we do..."

Her uncertainty caused Natsu to release a roar, also making her flinch when he abruptly kicked over his own bedside table in a fit of rage.

"Talk about a colossal waste of my damn time! Jeez, can't you nobles do anything without making it all so complicated?! I just want you outta my castle but you can't even do that!"

Lucy shrunk back at his scathing tone, suddenly feeling ashamed. "Sorry…"

"But wait!" Happybat shrieked, hovering in the middle of the room with a gleeful expression. "That means she's gotta stay now, right?! Hooray~!"

"No it doesn't!" Natsu interrupted quickly. "And besides, she doesn't even want to stay here in the first place-!"

"Actually I do."

Both Natsu and Happy whipped their heads towards Lucy, where she now had her hand pressed against the glass of the window as she kept staring outside. She could certainly see the Heartfilia Estate from this perch; the place that had robbed her of so many life choices…

Her hand clenched into a fist, and she leaned her forehead against it.

"I don't really want to go home for now…"

Natsu stared at her with wide eyes for the longest time, his thoughts nearly divided in two. This girl...this _noble_ honest-to-goodness wanted to stay in this dark, dank, and frankly shoddy castle?! Was she just seeking some kind of thrill?! Because oh boy, if she was, she'd certainly be in for it…

There was no way she desired to stay for _his_ sake though. He could see it in the contempt she held in her gaze; her reasons for wanting to stay put...they were entirely selfish!

"I don't get you," Natsu started slowly, the words coming out raspy as he made his way closer to her without realizing. "There's nothing appealing here...nothing you could possibly want!"

Lucy rose from the window to challenge his claims, but suddenly he was in front of her, towering over her as imposingly as he could.

"You'd really want to stay here...where it's only me and Happy? I don't think we can reach your demanding standards, Princess…you'll be complaining within a day... _so what do ya possibly expect to get out of this?!_ "

He bent slightly so that his face was hovering over hers, and so she could receive the full intensity of his glare. For a moment Lucy's eyes flashed with fear, but this was quickly replaced by rage as she gave him a harsh shove in the shoulder. He stumbled backwards, gaping at her in shock.

"Stop arguing with me, idiot! You have to keep me here anyway! I'm literally out of options here!" Lucy shouted back. "There's nothing I can do about it, even if I wanted to! So stop snarling at me and- i-is that blood?!"

"Whut?" Natsu asked dumbly, having no idea what she was talking about. Lucy gawked at him before gesturing towards the arm she had pushed- the same one that had been stabbed by Mirajane. Natsu blinked and stared at it, only now feeling the pain after he acknowledged its presence.

"Eeeeeeh, whoops," he hissed through his teeth, clutching at the wound as it soaked his satin glove crimson. Happy hovered over Natsu's shoulder and clicked his tongue.

"Aw, what the heck Natsu, I thought you said you took care of your wounds!" Happy exclaimed.

"I did," Natsu grunted, giving Happy a look telling him to shut up. Of course, this went over the bat's head.

"Oh don't tell me you focused all your attention on Lucy-!"

Lucy's sharp gasp of realization filled the room, making Natsu roll his eyes at being busted.

"She needed the aid more than I did-"

"I can't believe this!" Lucy scoffed, immediately marching next to him and reaching for his arm. He sharply stepped back and glared at her, only to nearly cave as his right leg wobbled- shoot, he'd forgotten about the stab wound there too!

"Natsu!" Happy winced in fear for his friend. Natsu limped towards his bed and sat on it, gritting his teeth and refusing to complain. Maybe they would back off…

"Happy! Go find some leftover bandages along with some wet cloths, now!" the annoying lady ordered.

"Aye sir!"

Apparently not- Natsu inwardly groaned as Happy bolted out of the room at breakneck speed. Natsu was so distracted with mentally calling Happy a traitor that it took him a few moments to realize Lucy had sat herself upon his bed -joy, her scent was there TOO now!- and was once again reaching for his sleeve.

"Ack, stop, I'm all right," he insisted, shying away from her touch. Lucy grabbed the edge of his cape and yanked him back, proceeding to untie it and free him of it.

"No way, you're bleeding! That's definitely not 'all right' to me!" Lucy complained. "You cared for me, at least let me return the favor..."

Natsu raised his head to stare her dead in the eye. "You know, you sure like to 'return the favor' a lot...stuff like that is only going to get you hurt."

"Well sorry that I'm not an awful person who'll stand by as someone bleeds out in front of me," she retorted, successfully capturing his arm right as Happy flew back in. He literally threw the bandages and soaked cloth at them; Lucy was hit by a bandage roll while the wet cloth smacked Natsu in the face.

"Sorry," Happy chirped guilty, landing on Natsu's pillow. Natsu removed the cloth from his face and held it hostage when Lucy tried to take it from him. "Natsu, let her help! Please…"

"It's really not that bad Happy-"

"But I don't like seeing you hurt!"

At the sound of pain in Happy's cry, Natsu's grip loosened on the cloth- Lucy was able to snatch it from him. He tensed up, thinking that Lucy was going to charge straight at him, but she remained still.

"I'll only do it with your consent," she said seriously, never letting her eyes leave his.

Natsu inhaled sharply- his heart was already racing with how close she was, staring at him with wide brown eyes full of stubbornness...and even a bit of concern? Her chest rose and fell with careful, cautious breaths; the small actions made her damaged dress, low cut as it was, slide slightly off her shoulders and revealing more of her skin to him.

He swallowed thickly- oh, it would be so easy to get a taste of her right then and there, especially with her aroma practically punching him in the nose with how strong it was, but he could do this. He was stronger than his circumstances. He could stay in control...he already did it earlier, when he was the one dressing her wounds.

"Just...get it over with," he grumbled as he buried his face behind his scarf. He fumbled with the buttons on his shirt until Lucy moved his large hands out of the way, using her far more lithe fingers to undo them. Lucy was completely neutral to the action until she started to guide the sleeve off his left arm, which then caused the shirt to slip off his other shoulder and leaving his delicious-looking chest out on display for her eyes to feast upon.

Tanned skin was pulled tautly over his abs and pecs, each of them well-defined and practically welcoming Lucy to come and touch. This was the first time she saw a man topless, as nobles were really strict on protocol...and this man's torso was not the least bit unattractive. She gulped slightly, intimidated by such a fine-toned physique, but after realizing what she was doing she pulled herself back together.

'Whoa, focus,' Lucy told herself, squeezing the cloth in her grip. She spied Natsu smirking at her out of the corner of her eye, so with a hint of spite, she pressed the cloth against the wound just a bit harder than she needed to. Instantly Natsu's face contorted, and once she felt he'd had enough she went about cleaning his wound with more care.

"You're really covered with bruises…" Lucy said under her breath. As she wrapped his arm up in a bandage, her gaze wandered again, but this time it was focused on all the small black and purple welts that marred what was otherwise perfection.

Before she realized, her hand reached for one near his neck; both of them tensed, but both for totally different reasons.

For her, it was because he was so warm to the touch. It was nothing that made her feel like she was receiving a burn, but enough to send a rush of energy up through her fingertips and through her whole body, igniting her entire being in a spark. His skin was also remarkably rough- not unpleasant, but far more stiff than skin should have been. Perhaps it was just all his muscle…

For him, meanwhile, it was because she was driving him crazy and she didn't even know. She'd done nothing more than glide her fingers against the many places where the villagers had branded their anger with rocks, and somehow that got the fire in his belly rolling all over again. Her touch was the first in ages to be so gentle; a touch of comfort instead of contempt…

"Y-You can bandage my ankle now," Natsu blurted out with an extreme lack of tact, the abrupt words snapping Lucy out of her own trance. With a quick and silent nod, she hastily pulled Natsu's shirt over him so that he was at least partially covered again, then moved down towards his leg. Natsu kicked his shoe off just before Lucy rolled up his pant leg, exposing the other stab wound. Happy handed her the other wet cloth, and she got back to wound cleaning.

"So, um…" Lucy began, desperate to find something else to focus on as she worked. "H-How did you manage to heal me? You did a much better job than I am right now…"

Natsu shrugged and buried his face deeper into his scarf. "Eh, your injuries weren't as bad as they looked, that's all."

"Right…" Lucy huffed at the liar. She was beginning to grow annoyed with his dodgy and indirect answers, so she tried a more piercing question that would hopefully get him talking. "And this castle...it's truly just you and Happy living here?"

"Yep," Natsu replied blankly, making the 'p' at the end pop.

"Well why's that? I mean, it's pretty large for just a man and his...freakishly sized cat-looking bat…" She abandoned her previous thought to quickly point at Happy. "Hey, speaking of, why are you keeping something like him as a pet anyway?!"

"Pet?! I take offense!" Happy gasped, holding his wing over his heart. Natsu pursed his lips and leered down at her.

"Yeah, Happy's not a pet, he's my friend! And I won't tolerate him being referred to as anything less!"

"That's not the issue here; you have a giant talking bat as a p- friend! That's not normal!"

"I fail to see what's wrong with this," Natsu stated with a dumbfounded blink, making Lucy moan in disgust and give up for the moment. Trying to talk to this guy was giving her a headache...

"Well, either way I'm done," Lucy sighed, glancing around before groaning and wiping her hands on her dress. It was ruined away… Natsu testily moved his foot around before carefully placing it on the floor- as long as not too much pressure was applied, he would be able to walk with a bit more ease than before.

He had to admit, Lucy did a good job...for a noble who probably never had to cut her nails by herself.

"There, see? That wasn't torture, was it?" Lucy remarked haughtily. Natsu muttered otherwise under his breath, but chose to keep it to himself. Instead he fully rose back to his feet and disappeared into his closet, changing into fresh clothes while tossing the dirty ones over his shoulder. Lucy once more founded herself disgusted by his slobbish habits.

"So this is the part where ya leave for your own good, right?"

Natsu stepped back into the open with his arms stretched over his head and his cape back in place, lazily smirking at her. Lucy put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah, no, this is the part where you show me to my guest room and treat me with the hospitality I deserve."

"Pah! Nippy, aren't we? I already told ya you're not getting any special treatment," Natsu scoffed as he tugged on a fresh pair of gloves. "In fact, I still want ya gone...but you're not going to go, are you?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted; traveling in my condition just wouldn't be wise," Lucy stated seriously, yet a tiny smile grew on her face. "Besides, what's wrong with a little company?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Natsu scoffed. "And what's wrong with you anyway, willing to up and crash with a stranger out of the blue?"

"When you phrase it like that it sounds tactless," Lucy huffed. "And I'm pretty sure if you wanted to do anything bad to me, you would've done so already. I fell asleep in your presence more than once, not to mention I'm wounded…"

"Yeaaaaah…"

"And after all…" Lucy continued, stepping over to his side, eyes shining up at him. "You've already shown that you can take care of me…"

Natsu jolted as his face turned red. "Wh-what's THAT supposed to mean?!"

"Idiot! You brought me all the way back here and dressed my wounds…what did you THINK I meant?!"

"Ah…ahm…nothing, nevermind." Natsu tried to forget the image of a nude Lucy constantly popping in his mind since she arrived in his room.

He covered his nose and beckoned her to follow.

"I'm only agreeing to this at all because you saved my life...and because you are a nice person, in spite of your rudeness. I've never seen such a feisty noble."

Lucy frowned and trailed after him down the dark hallway. She stayed close to him, as she felt a bit scared by the creepy atmosphere, which contrasted drastically with Natsu's bedroom.

"I thought you didn't follow nobles' business. And you don't even know the most recognized families of Fiore…" She pointed out, doubtful. "How could you know what nobles are like and how they behave?"

Natsu, caught off guard again by this very talkative girl, sweated in his fresh clothes.

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Do you always dodge them?"

"You talk a lot. Even Happy doesn't talk that much."

"Aye Sir!" The bat collapsed on Lucy's head. "But you like to talk too, Natsu!"

"Just not to me...right?" Lucy asked sarcastically.

As Natsu didn't answer, Lucy decided she wanted to know more about this very unusual man.

"Are you a lord?"

"...no."

"Did you steal this castle?"

"Are you listening to yourself? How can I _steal_ a castle?!" Natsu rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean! If you're not the lord, then you're not the owner!"

"That's not your business."

"Of course...what's your full name?"

"Just call me Natsu. I don't like formalities."

"Are you a peasant? What do you do for a living ?"

"I enjoy solitude and _silence_."

"Do you realize you sound like a creep or a criminal?"

"What would you know about criminals? Have you ever met one in your giant estate?"

"No...but I read a lot," Lucy confessed quietly.

"About _criminals?_ "

"About almost everything."

Natsu frowned at this. What if she read also about people like him…

"Almost?"

"Yes, I can't read all the time unfortunately, because I have to do my heiress job…going to balls, being a hypocrite with potential allies, visiting the peasants' villages to be sure everything's fine...and that reminds me…"

Natsu stiffened. He already knew what she was going to ask.

"Why did the villagers try to kill you?"

Lucy didn't have time to take the question back; Natsu suddenly whirled around and pinned her against the wall in a single move. Happy jumped from her head and hastily flew away.

"You're really starting to annoy me, Lady Curious…"

Lucy's eyes widened in terror when she saw those dark eyes so close to her, a dangerous spark glowing in them, along with...something else...desire?

"I'm your host for now, it's true, but you don't wanna push me…" Natsu growled threateningly.

He could see and smell the fear running through Lucy's body...such a sensational body at that… He licked his lips and stared at hers; such perfect, plump lips…round and ripe enough for him to bruise against his own...

"Y-you're very close to me…"

Her sudden stuttering made something click in Natsu's mind.

 _Hunting is always better when the prey is conscious, scared to death, begging you for mercy… And you're so close to it you can smell the fear...Right Natsu?_

 _You disgust me, Ever._

 _Oh come on, don't tell me you've ever resisted that thrill!_

Natsu blinked and pulled away, putting as much distance as he could between them. Lucy was confused… He looked very dangerous and yet...she was practically sure he wanted to kiss her. She saw many gentlemen- or so they were called- lick their lips like that before trying to initiate a lip lock.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like questions." There he was, averting his eyes from her again. "Are you done with them?"

"Can I ask one more?"

"You know I ain't gonna answer."

"Why are you so hot?"

Natsu snapped his gaze back at her in an instant, raising his brows and feeling heat rise in his body.

"Tha-that's not what I meant!" The flustered lady protested when she saw a smirk spreading on her host's face.

"She liiiiikes you!" Happybat flapped his wings excitedly.

"No! I meant your skin! Why is it so hot? It's not normal!"

"Right, _my_ _skin_ is hot, keep telling yourself that…" Natsu snickered devilishly and licked his lips again, although he did not move from his spot. "I have an abnormal body temperature, that's all. Now...turn around."

"What?"

"Turn around, your room is right behind you."

Lucy spun herself around, and noticed she was indeed leaning against a door. She held her breath as she opened the door, expecting some sort of abandoned pigsty, but instead gasped quietly when she entered.

A large bed was centered in the middle of the room, dressed with velvet sheets and huge pillows that were certainly too much for one person. The floors were covered in a plush dark carpet, and the walls had more of those faded pictures, but the thing that caught her eye the most...was that it was spotless.

"I have to confess, I wasn't expecting something so...pristine," Lucy stated, taking her first few steps into the room. Natsu shrugged and leaned against the door.

"Eh, it's the only other room I bother to clean regularly, so...I figured this would be your first pick."

"What's so special about this room that even you bother to clean it?" Lucy asked casually enough as she felt the bedsheet. But Natsu's face suddenly darkened, his grip on the doorway becoming tight. He refused to even give a half-hearted answer to that question, so Lucy didn't dare press for more information.

Instead she found herself appalled by how dusty everything was, despite his claims of cleaning efforts. She continued to inspect the room, noting it was nicely decorated, but really cold, certainly because it was never used-

"Eeeek, spider! Spider!" Lucy suddenly screeched, horrified at the sight of a large black arachnid dwelling on the corner of the ceiling. "I am NOT sleeping in the same room as that...that…"

"I got it!" Happy cried, flying over to the offending creature. Lucy shuddered and looked away, not interested at all in seeing how the bat planned to dispose of the creature.

"There's some old dresses in the closet if you wanna change," Natsu finally spoke up, gesturing to the door in the back. "You can light a fire over there, and _there's_ your own washroom, so you can stay out of mine."

Lucy's eyes lit up at the idea of a nice relaxing soak and clasped her hands together. "Ah, that's wonderful! Could you draw my bath right now for me, please?"

Natsu stared blankly at her before snorting in response, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"If it's a bath ya want, you can go to the kitchen, fill a kettle with water, and boil the water yourself on the fireplace!"

Lucy looked mortified at the thought. "What?! I have to do that myself?"

"Hey, who else would do that here?" Natsu gestured around, once again indicating that they were the only ones in the castle. "Certainly not me; I'm not your slave, Princess!"

"I'm not a princess! And honestly I don't feel strong enough right now…" Lucy murmured, remembering the trouble she had getting up the stairs.

"...Too bad, no bath for today then," Natsu smirked with a shrug. "Maybe you'll feel up to it tomorrow morning, hm hm."

"And what am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?" Lucy whined. "Just sit in this dusty room in desperate need of a bath?!"

"Do whatever the heck ya want- just stay outta _my_ room and try not to touch everything," Natsu sighed as he dismissed her claim. "You should feel lucky I'm even letting you stay, quit trying to push it."

"I wouldn't have to 'push' anything if you just had a nicer attitude!" Lucy exclaimed as her voice rose. "You can dodge all the questions you want, but the one thing I'll never understand is why you're being so detached with me!"

She moved much too close to him, her scent rolling off her in waves. It was practically an invitation for him to pounce on her now.

"I'm here with no other option, so the least you could is try to make it a little more bearable!" Her voice rang in Natsu's ears again, but he was only focused on her advance towards him. "If I'm doing something wrong then tell me already!"

His head started to throb painfully; she was overwhelming all his senses...

"Why…" Lucy pleaded, actually sounding concerned for him. "Why are you acting like this?!"

"That's... _ENOUGH!_ "

The sound shook the walls and rattled the decorations; Happy's eyes bugged out of his head as he squeaked and scrambled to hide under the bed, while Lucy hastily took a step back.

Natsu was literally quaking with anger now, broad shoulders shuddering with fury while a vein popped out on his neck. His posture went rigid as he held himself back from Lucy, but that didn't stop him from giving her a killer glare.

"I'm sick of your questions and you nosing into my damn business! I thought you were different from other nobles, but I guess not- you must control everything and everyone, and you can't stand somebody resisting you!"

Lucy was shocked into speechlessness by his scathing words as he turned heel and thundered towards the door, his cape serving to emphasize the rage that was radiating off of him. The noblewoman swallowed thickly- even Happy was terrified…

"I don't care what you choose to do- just stay away from _me!_ "

Natsu grabbed the edge of the door, throwing one last enraged look over his shoulder before taking his leave.

"And with that, enjoy your stay, _Princess_."

He swung the door shut with a powerful slam, the sound echoing through the whole castle until it settled into silence, signifying an omen for what was to come.

* * *

 **A/N: Long scene huh? :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry we didn't update in a long time, exams are coming for both of us (aaaah), but we're not forgetting this story :)**

 **Don't you love Happybat?**


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